PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sucker for horror comedies. There’s just something gratifying about a genre flick that can laugh at itself. So it was my absolute pleasure to be able to review Laugh Now Die Later Shorts Block, the horror comedy block from this year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, an annual independant genre film festival that takes place in Brooklyn, New York. For its third year, the festivities were held from October 11-18, 2018. The Laugh Now Die Later Shorts Block will be screened on Sunday, October 14 at noon EST. Were these shorts worth a trip to Brooklyn?
The Bloody Ballad of Squirt Reynolds (2018)
Synopsis:
The kids at Camp Nawgonamakit are about to find out the tragic tale of Squirt Reynolds is more than just a legend.
As soon as I saw the name of the camp, I knew I was going to love this short. Writer/Director Anthony Cousins’ (When Susurrus Stirs 2016) satirical summer camp parody poked fun at everything in the summer camp sub-subgenre, from using obviously older actors to play “kids” to the over the top ’80s costume that the keyboard playing counsellor (Nathan Tymoshuk) wears to the Burt Reynolds mask-wearing Squirt Reynolds. This short was hilarious and gory… everything I want in a horror comedy. What finally happens to poor Chet just before the credits roll is one of the best kills I’ve seen since the exploding heads in Game of Death.
Hair Wolf (2017)
Synopsis:
The staff of a black hair salon fend off a strange new monster: white women intent on sucking the lifeblood from black culture.
Directed by Mariam Diallo (Random Acts of Flyness 2018), Hair Wolf reminded me a bit of a comedic, vampiric version of Get Out, where white people want to be black in every way possible. However, in this short, the craving to be black stems not from a desire to try on another person’s skin for awhile. It begins as some sort of viral infection that sends white people to black beauty shops to steal the qualities that the black community prides themselves upon, and simultaneously whitewashing the victims of these crimes. This social commentary short is a bit too true to be funny. Although the hair zombies groaning, “Braaaaaaids…” into the salon windows was pretty awesome.
Attack of the Potato Clock (2018)
Synopsis:
Set in an ’80s elementary school, Attack of the Potato Clock tells the story about a mutated potato clock that rises from death one stormy day to get revenge on the cafeteria’s lunch lady who is chopping potatoes, creatures of his own kind.
This animated horror comedy short was co-directed by debut filmmakers Victoria Lopez and Ji Young Na, students at Ringling College Art & Design. There’s no dialogue, only the inhuman growling of the Frankenstein’s monster potato as he tries to save his spuddy comrades from the cafeteria lady and her french fry slicer. It’s a cute little short that’s probably only scary if you’re a potato, but I liked it anyway.
My Monster (2018)
Synopsis:
Christmas is coming. If that’s not stressful enough, Lily has to contend with a clueless partner and an unexpected, inter-dimensional holiday guest who just wants two things — blood and cuddles.
Directed by Izzy Lee (Rites of Vengeance 2017) and produced by Richard Stringham, My Monster (AKA It’s In You) starts off quite creepily. The idea of hearing your name being called in the middle of the dark night with no other witnesses is scary enough, but what finally shows up at the door not only confirms Lily’s (Brea Grant: Sleep No More 2018) fears but changes her and her husband’s (Adam Egypt Grant: Holidays 2016) lives forever. The twist in My Monster is fantastic and completely unique. I can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like it before. And the FX makeup… wow! I’m really not sure if Makeup Artist Sabrina Castro was behind this demonic creation, but if she was, she is an FX force to be reckoned with in the filmmaking industry.
Crying Bitch (2018)
Synopsis:
A man who is having an affair with a young woman gets home late, as usual. But that night, he finds something wrong with his wife, Satomi. Since then, he gets strayed into her dark side, the labyrinth.
Directed and written by Actor Reiki Tsuno (Return to Nuke ‘Em High Vol. 1 & 2) in his directorial debut, Crying Bitch follows a married man as he sleeps his way through every woman in Japan. At night, he comes home to his sweet wife, feeling guilty but apparently unable to help himself. The revenge his wife gets is sweet, salty and ball-smashingly awesome.
Comeback Kid (2017)
Synopsis:
16-year-old Hugh thinks he’s in a nice, normal, coming-of-age story when a past life’s unsatisfied urges make him want to sleep with his girlfriend’s mum and kill her dad. He finds it all very confusing.
This UK was short was directed by Ian Robertson (The Proposal 2016). Although I figured out where the story was going right off the bat, it was still a fun ride. The plot is similar to Chances Are, that Robert Downey, Jr. movie from 1989. I love the intro that turned into the infinity sign… nice touch. Hugh’s (Tom Cawte) reaction to seeing Jenn’s (Olivia Sawbridge) parents getting it on after a night on the town was awkward yet blissfully perfect. What a flawless wrapup.
Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre (2018)
I’ve always had a thing for horror projects coming out of Norway, Finland and Sweden, ever since watching Troll Hunter back in 2010. I’ve come to realized that the Scandinavians know their horror. So when I saw that Finnish Director Ilja Rautsi (Spandex Sapiens 2015) had a short in the Laugh Now Die Later Shorts Block, I knew that was the one I wanted to see the most. After Essi (Anna Paavilainen: The Good Son 2011) and her husband, Julius (Leo Honkonen), crash their car, they’re saved by a group of “dudebro” misogynists (Kari Hietalahti, Pekka and Iska Strang, Vesa-Matti Loiri), who see women as uteruses with legs who need everything explained to them. And I mean everything. When Essi tries to escape, fellow woman Roosa (Ella Lahdenmaki) exposits, “Looks like you sent them into explanation mode… If you don’t want to be punished, you must never, EVER, question their egos.” Those lines alone were enough to set my feminism radar off… but that’s what they’re supposed to do. I loved that the men acted like mindless zombies whenever they were mansplaining. And that crocodile whistle! You can just imagine where this short ends up, and believe me, it was so worth it. The shotgun blast to the head was perfect!
Final Thoughts
I was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked every single film in the Laugh Now Die Later Shorts Block. Trust me, that hardly ever happens. Each short was quirky, creative and fun. If you’re a horror comedy fan, do yourself a favor and check out one or more of the horror shorts in this block, especially Helsinki Mansplaining Massacre, Hair Wolf and Crying Bitch.
